Top 5 Pokémon Cards from White Flare

Off to Unova

Welcome back to Unova, the home of Black and White Pokémon, and of course the next stop on our Pokémon TCG adventure! White Flare, which is one half of our upcoming Pokémon TCG dual mini sets, features many iconic Pokémon from Unova, and maybe some of them will shake up the metagame! In this article, I’ll be sharing my personal top 5 favorite cards coming out in White Flare for use in our competitive metagame! Even if these cards don’t see success right away, I recommend picking them up because these cards often see success over their entire competitive lifespan! With quite a few cards to cover, let’s jump right into it!

Card 5: Emboar

Kicking our list off with a sizzle, Emboar [White Flare] brings back its infamous Inferno Fandango Ability to the game which allows you to attach as many Basic Fire Energy from your hand to your Pokémon each turn. We’ve seen other Emboar with a similar Ability, and Baxcalibur [Paldea Evolved] is the Water-type equivalent that has seen great success in the competitive metagame. I’ll be honest, in our current metagame, Emboar doesn’t have a place… In a future metagame, it could be one of the most powerful cards in the metagame. That's kinda how these powerful Abilities work - we just need the right Pokémon to partner with Emboar. Reshiram ex [White Flare] seems like a solid option, but it isn’t enough to make the next Worlds winning deck. Only time will tell if Emboar is chilling at the top tables or if it stays in a shoebox for two years…

Let the fiery spirit of Emboar protect your whole deck by trying out Ultimate Guard’s Red Katana Sleeves here.

Card 4: Ignition Energy

If we reminisce over Special Energy that provides multiple Energy, there would be a long list of Energy to think about. Potentially another card on that list is Ignition Energy [White Flare], which provides three Colorless Energy when it's attached to an Evolution Pokémon, but you have to discard it at the end of your turn. Similar to Emboar, I don’t immediately have a deck to slot this into like other cards on this list, like Hilda [White Flare], but I see the vision. I think about pulling attacks out of thin air, and it would have to be something like teching a copy of Ignition Energy into a deck that plays Pidgeot ex [Obsidian Flames] to attack with Blustery Wings out of nowhere. Maybe using it to power up Dudunsparce ex [Journey Together] to be able to use Destructive Drill to KO a Crustle [Destined Rivals] in a deck that uses Dudunspace [Temporal Forces] as a draw engine. It can also count as the Energy you need to discard for your attack, so it is an option for otherwise costly attacks - think of a Stage 2 Pokémon with a similar attack to Raging Bolt ex [Temporal Forces] using Bellowing Thunder. I’m sure this card will see success at some point in at least one deck - don’t sleep on it.

Card 3: Tool Scrapper

While it might not be the most exciting card on our list, Tool Scrapper [White Flare] is instantly a card that might make it into your next list. Why just might? Well, it opens up a debate of using Jamming Tower [Twilight Masquerade], Tool Scrapper, or potentially neither. Jamming Tower is currently one of the best answers to any Pokémon Tool cards, and is often used to surprise KO a Drifloon [Scarlet and Violet] that has more than 70 damage on it because it has a Bravery Charm [Scarlet and Violet] on it. Jamming Tower shuts off all Pokémon Tool cards, yours too, which makes it an interesting deck inclusion. If you don’t play Pokémon Tool cards, Jamming Tower is a great choice, but it isn’t searchable like Tool Scrapper is. You can use Arven [Scarlet and Violet] to search out Item cards, and you can still play Pokémon Tool cards. While it might not sound like a big deal, you might be right, but having a variety of answers does allow you to construct the best version of a deck for you. As a deckbuilder myself, I’m pleased to have as many current options as we do!

Card 2: Jellicent ex

Oceanic Curse might be one of the coolest Ability names, and Jellicent ex [White Flare] might end up being one of the spookiest cards that you might face in a competitive environment. While its Power Press attack can be quickly powered up by the popular Gardevoir ex [Scarlet and Violet], the Ability is really where this Pokémon shines. As long as Jellicent ex is in the Active Spot, your opponent can’t play any Item cards or Pokémon Tool cards. That can shut off powerful options to get around this Ability, like Counter Catcher [Paradox Rift], leaving you helpless. One of the power plays available with Jellicent ex is comboing it with Technical Machine: Devolution [Paradox Rift] which stops your opponent from using Rare Candy [Scarlet and Violet] to Evolve back into those Stage 2 Pokémon that got sent back into your opponent’s hand. I’m sure this Pokémon will see some competitive play at upcoming Black Bolt and White Flare League Challenges and League Cups.

Match the purple that makes Jellicent ex such a vibrant Pokémon with Ultimate Guard’s Summer Cloud Katana Sleeves here

Card 1: Hilda

My personal favorite and most format impactful card in White Flare is Hilda. Supporter cards are usually some of the most impactful cards in the game, and this card isn’t any different. Being able to search for an Evolution Pokémon, and any Energy card gives many decks the variety of choice for a powerful move. One of the most powerful decks in the game right now is Dragapult ex [Twilight Masquerade] which Hilda allows you to search out both a Dragapult ex, and a Neo Upper Energy [Temporal Forces]. That can allow you to Phantom Dive out of nowhere by finding the exact cards you need when you need them. There will likely be many other use cases for Hilda as the metagame progresses so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for opportunities.

A Changing Metagame

As we rapidly approach the 2025 Pokémon TCG World Championships in Anaheim, California, we can’t forget that both Black Bolt and White Flare are going to be legal for that event! While Air Balloon is going to be a great addition to many decks, Gardevoir ex / Jellicent ex could end up being a real contender in the metagame, and maybe some Black Bolt cards might show up in the metagame too! Be sure to check out my companion article on Black Bolt, see which cards are the best of the best, and I’ll be sure to keep you all updated with more competitive Pokémon TCG content as always! Thanks so much for reading!